Ilkley River Wharfe bathing site gets 'poor' water quality rating

Up to 1,750 people swim in the River Wharfe at Ilkley on the hottest days of the year, Ilkley Clean River Group says

England's first stretch of river to be designated a bathing site has been given a water quality rating of "poor".

Part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley is the only bathing site in Yorkshire to fail to reach quality standards after samples of water from there were tested by the Environment Agency.

Earlier, Yorkshire Water announced plans to spend £13m upstream of Ilkley to improve water quality in the Wharfe.

The firm said steps were needed to tackle additional sources of pollution.

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A stretch of the Wharfe which attracts hundreds of swimmers during spells of warm weather was designated a bathing site in 2020, meaning pollution levels are now regularly monitored.

However, the Environment Agency and its partners said new test results revealed a variety of bacteria sources impacting water quality had been found in the river, including human and animal DNA.

Designated bathing site status for the River Wharfe led to new signage and regular water quality testing

Yorkshire Water said new measures it would take in a bid to improve water quality in that stretch of the river would include the "enhanced disinfection" of effluent discharged from treatment works in Grassington, Draughton and Beamsley.

Ben Roche, director of wastewater at Yorkshire Water, warned its new investment would not guarantee an improvement in bathing water quality.

"Our modelling indicates pollution is entering the watercourses from a variety of sources, including misconnections and agricultural land which the river and its tributaries run through," he said.

"It is important other landowners and stakeholders take action to ensure water quality is improved in the future, with the ultimate aim of improving the bathing water classification."

Seven bathing waters in Yorkshire have been classified as 'Excellent':

• Flamborough South

• Danes Dyke Flamborough

• Scarborough North Bay

• Cayton Bay

• Reighton

• Runswick Bay

• Whitby

Classifications for other Yorkshire bathing waters can be found here.

The Environment Agency said water companies "must do more to reduce pollution incidents and the use of storm overflows", with farmers also needing to do more to stop manure, fertiliser and soil running off into watercourses.

It also called on the public to never put fats, oils, greases, wet wipes, cotton buds and other "unflushables" down the drain.

Martin Christmas, Environment Agency area environment manager for Yorkshire, said: "We are at the beginning of the journey at the site in Ilkley and we're committed to working with the community, Yorkshire Water, local farmers, local authorities and other organisations to improve bathing water quality in the years to come."

'Open sewer'

The Ilkley Clean River Group said the "poor" classification for the Wharfe confirmed it was "not safe for people to paddle, play or swim after rainfall when sewage pollution exceeds safe limits".

A spokesperson for the community action group said: "In cleaning up the river for people, we also aim to prevent the use of the Wharfe as an open sewer and return it to being a thriving habitat for wildlife."

Untreated sewage is being dumped illegally in rivers across the country on a regular basis, analysis shown to the BBC has suggested.

Seven water companies, including Yorkshire Water, discharged untreated sewage into rivers and the sea more than 3,000 times between 2017 and 2021, figures have shown.

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